DISCOVERING LITTLE INDIA PART II (13 MAY 2008)

Today, we returned to Little India to continue with our walking tour. This time, we started at the beginning of Serangoon Road. Tekka Market has shifted out of its original premises to a makeshift home along Race Course Road, so upgrading works can commence. We found Mr Parrot still telling fortunes just outside the original Tekka Market though. Mr Parrot was busy giving advice to 2 ladies when we walked past.

We turned left at Buffalo Road. On the left, we saw a man making garlands from fresh jasmines. We also saw packets of "bindis" (the dot Hindus wear on their foreheads) on sale. Indian green grocers occupy most of the shophouses along the right side of Buffalo Road. Fruits and vegetables were piled high on sale. It was a busy afternoon for the green grocers. Amidst this bustling marketplace was a tranquil little yoga shop, named aptly "The Yoga Shop". This was the only yoga shop we came across in Little India.

We went round the bend and arrived at Kerbau Road. There was a sign which said: "Arts Belt of Little India". At No. 61 Kerbau Road was Plastique Kinetic Worms (http://www.pkworms.org.sg/), an artspace for experimental and contemporary art in Singapore. The gate to the building was ajar, but the main door was locked, so we didn't get to view any of the exhibits. Futher down the road were two shops selling Hindu art works and at No. 19 Kerbau Road was Bhaskar's Arts Academy (http://www.bhaskarsartsacademy.com/) which is dedicated to traditional Indian dance.

We also saw a Straits Chinese style villa at No. 37 Kerbau Road. The villa is known as "Tan Tang Niah's House". The villa was apparently built in 1905, and workmen were restoring it when we walked past.
We made a left turn onto Belilios Lane. Nothing of interest here though. We went to check out the Indian restaurants along Chander Road and Race Course Road instead. It was way past lunch time when we got there, but one restaurant (Gandhi Restaurant at No. 29 & 31 Chander Road) still had a queue. We peered through the glass windows and saw customers eating off banana leafs with their hands. This restaurant also appeared to be the "least westernised" of the lot. Meals start from S$4.00. You can check it out if you're into Indian food.

Nestled amongst the row of Indian restaurants along Race Course Road was a small store called "Aussimart". It's a convenience store for all things Aussie at No. 70 Race Course Road. What an unusual location for such a store!

We traversed Kinta Road to get to Serangoon Road. Right next to the carpark at Kinta Road was a pre-war shophouse which was about to collapse. We could see deep cracks across its side and the building was resting on wooden frames to keep it from crashing down. We hurried past it.

We walked along Serangoon Road towards the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. A prayer session was going on in the temple when we arrived. We removed our shoes and stepped inside. The sounds of drumbeats, a trumpet, and a melodious female voice filled the prayer hall. The congregation was seated on floor. I had never seen anything quite like this before. We couldn't stay to explore the temple though because Ah Gong was on his way down to pick us up.

We hurried down Serangoon Road towards the Little India Arcade at Hastings Street. We walked past several shops along Serangoon Road which offered eyebrow tattooing, henna and other beauty services. We also saw shops which sold sarees, Hindi CDs, etc.

It was an eye-opening experience in Little India, and Mommy said there's more to see. We'll definitely be back again!